Against The Crimson Skyline
by Starlit Desert
Summary: Regardless of how much it may seem, and how much you try, nothing can be the same as it was yesterday. KurenoOC
1. Nostalgia

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Delicate snowflakes drifted down onto the city streets, only scattered, whispy winds to alter their course. The faint, beautiful ringing of the bells at the Shinto shrine rang through the air: one hundred and eight to relieve the masses of their sins, their human nature; voices, turned to forgiveness. 

Yasukawa Yume hated New Years. She hated everything about it, from the memories it brought back to the wounds it reopened. Even the moon, a brilliant, gleaming pearl, full of beauty and calming, could not take away the horrible flashes, the terrible recollections of a broken girl. The memories of that boy.

She hardly remembered him, really, except for the few, painful moments she'd burned subconsciously into her psyche. But she remembered his shape, his beautiful, russet eyes, his soft, nervous voice... She remembered the way she loved him, for as much as she understood what love really was.

She remembered his secret, too. And the day he went away. The day he told her that he couldn't like her anymore...

As much as she wanted to, she could never really forget. How could she? That boy, beautiful, enigmatic, tranquil... He was everything she wanted, everything she needed. Everything she needed in someone else, everything she couldn't have in herself.

Souma Kureno: The boy with wings.

* * *

Souma Kureno could hear the bells ringing, the voices from inside the banquet hall; he could still hear the sounds of the koto playing in his mind, beautiful and mocking. He could still feel Shigure's hands dragging him through their dance like a burden that he couldn't wait to cast away. 

Outside in the cold, frozen world, he sat on the porch, snowflakes headed on a soft, steady descent, his breath coming out as steam in the frigid winters chill. In the back of his mind, he wondered how it was going inside. He wondered if Akito noticed he was missing, or if she didn't even care. He supposed it didn't matter, though... Whatever made her happy was fine with him.

Inside of his mind, there were so many memories of past banquets, both good and bad. Every year, it was always the same, though, and it had been since he was thirteen: the feeling of being an outsider, no longer belonging to their intimate circle, no longer mattering...Terrible, lonely feelings.

Memories of banquets from before his curse lifted were much, much different: The feeling of inclusion and sometimes even happiness, sometimes even content. Even if he was just normal back then, just like any of the others...

He'd only missed one banquet in his life, when he was eight. That was the year her parent's died; Yasukawa-chan's parents. He'd stayed with her in the park until she'd stopped crying... until he stopped crying, too.

He remembered her so vividly it was as though he saw her every day. Even so... it had been fourteen years. Far too long to consider themselves to still be friends, but not long enough to consider themselves strangers. Not long enough, not yet.

A maid stepped onto the porch- he could tell by the sound their shoes made. "Kureno-san, what are you doing out here? You'll catch cold... Come inside, now. Akito-san wants you with him."

He still saw her in his mind, even past Akito, even if the thought of that really being true absolutely alarmed him. She was still there... It wasn't too late, was it?

Was it?


	2. Champagne and Convention

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Through the years, Yume had come to realize that days running the library were boring, lonely ones. She loved books, and the immense size of the building was great, but everything was always the same. She hated it.

The same people, the same routines... the same day, only repeated. Up at six, at the library by seven, home at nine, after running her daily errands. The pay wasn't all that fabulous, either. She hardly had enough to pay the rent for her shabby studio apartment and manage to have money left over to eat, let alone enjoy her twenties like everyone else she knew was able to. Needless to say, she didn't get out much, not that she'd have anywhere to go, anyway.

Her stomach growls and her head jerks upwards, eyes fixated on the grand clock on the wall across from her. At every hour, the building would become filled with the booming sounds of the clock's chimes, one eardrum-shattering ring for each hour, on the hour. The mere thought of it gave her a headache. As of now, it was fifty-eight minutes past eleven in the morning. Just two more minutes and she could drink the champagne she'd brought for lunch that she'd been hiding underneath the desk. Bitterly, she turned over the sign on the large desk she sat at that read, "no food or drink in the library."

The seconds hand moved around the numbers in a painfully slow matter; the ticking and tocking it produced with each stroke rung in her mind. Just twenty more seconds, she thought.

She moved her hands over her ears, groaning with the sound of the great, ringing bell. She grabbed the liqour from underneath the desktop, eagerly snapping off the cork and bringing the full bottle to her lips. She shivered in delight at the taste of it sliding over her tongue...

She turned around, falling to a sitting position and leaning against the side of her station, her head tilted back as she poured more and more of the alcohol down her throat. Banging the bottle down onto the floor, she closed her eyes, fighting away the dizzy sensation she felt. Not even nausea could ruin this. Not even that.

Her breathing was heavy. Vaguely, she wondered if she even needed a man again. She'd recently broken up with a foreigner: an American engineer, working for Toyota on a transfer. The relationship hadn't ended well. Inwardly, she sighed... Who needs sex, who needs men, she thought, when you've got just enough money for a bottle of Asti Spumanti? She brought the bottle to her lips a second time, fist wrapped tightly around the glass neck like it was her one chance at life.

She was so caught up in her hazy, half-drunken ecstasy that she didn't notice the man walking up towards the counter, stack of two or so books in his hand. The man curiously peered down at her, dark auburn gaze shaped in suspicion. What was she ...?

"Anou... Sumimasen," he said softly, causing the woman to give a small scream, spilling some of the liquid from the bottle with her sudden jump of terror. He had jerked, too.

"O-Oh... Oh, kami-sama," she breathed, setting down the green-tinted bottle with an exasperated thud. "Why'd you sneak up on me like that?" she asked rudely, rubbing a spot of wetness on her shirt caused by the spill of the champagne. She whined, wondering how much it would cost to get it dry-cleaned...

"I... anou..." The man ran a hand through his brown locks nervously, blushing, "I just wanted to check this book out, i-if it's not too much trouble..."

She brought her gaze upwards, looking the customer in the eye. Suddenly, she felt a twang of something unnamable move through her, causing her heart to skip a beat. He raised a brow in curiousity.

"Anou... Nan da?"

"You!" she gasped, pointing an accusing finger at him, lightly jabbing him in the chest. "You!" She gave a small hop, wagging her finger. She allowed a small smile to pass over her lips, her cheeks reddening.

"Sumimasen," he aplogized, "do I know you?"

"Hai," she responded, laughing shortly, giddily. "Don't you remember me? It's Yume. Yasukawa Yume. And you," she said, smiling broadly, proud and glad, still stabbing him in the chest with her fingertip, "you are Souma Kureno-kun."

* * *

"Kureno-chan!" cried a little, brown-haired girl, wearing a girly red frock, running as fast as her little legs could take her. "Please, Kureno-chan, wait up!" 

Up ahead, the brunette boy blushed, stopping straight in his tracks and blushing. As he watched her run forwards, hair bouncing with each step, he really hoped to God that she wouldn't trip over her own feet. Nervously, he glanced over his shoulder at his cousins, pleading.

"Please," Kureno begged, "please, Shigure-niisan, can you wait for a moment? I have to see what Yasukawa-chan wants."

The older boy's smoke-colored eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. "And why should I? I'm sure Aaya and Hari don't want to wait, and I don't either." Souma Ayame then attached himself to Shigure's bicep.

"Now, now... Be nice, Gure," the effeminate boy pouted, slapping Shigure lightly on the shoulder. "Let Kureno-kun speak with his lover!" The Rooster couldn't help the blush as it spread across his cheeks, burning uncomfortably.

Souma Shigure sighed, smirking, "Fine, fine. But only for you, Aaya."

"Domo!" thanked Kureno gratefully, quickly walking towards the girl who was stopped, out of breath in the middle of the sidewalk. She was bent over, bookbag discarded on the other side of the concrete way, breathing heavily. He quickly reached her.

"Kureno-chan!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "You forgot your dinosaur at the playground. I wanted to return it to you; you said it was so important to you..." Quickly, she brandished a plastic dinosaur action figure from within the front pocket of her bag. Kureno pulled his own in front of him, searching for the missing toy, unable to believe that he really had forgotten it. Eyes widening slightly, he closed his bag, looking Yume in the eye. He really _did_ leave it behind...

"A-Ara," he stuttered, surprised. "Maa. Domo, Yasukawa-chan. Domo arigatou gozaimasu."

She laughed, "It was nothing, really. I'm just glad I caught up with you..." She glanced at her watch, eyes widening considerably, "Ah! My mom wanted me home right after school... Ashita mata, Kureno-chan!" She quickly scampered off, leaving Kureno alone on the pavement. He watched her run as he felt his heart drop closer towards his stomach, a weird, aftermath-like feeling of emptiness overcoming him. So lost in his daze, he hardly heard Shigure calling out to him.

"Come on!" he shouted. "We need to get home." His three cousins turned on heel, heading away from the younger Ondori. Kureno scurried towards them, out of breath by the time he reached them.

Shigure glanced over at him, gaze suspicious, "So, who was that girl? Was she really your girlfriend?" Both he and Ayame smirked as Hatori sighed, Kureno's eyes widening and his cheeks turning as red as his Yasukawa-chan's dress had been.

"N-No!" defended Kureno, looking at the ground. "Yasukawa-chan is just a friend." Although, she did look really pretty in her dress this afternoon...

Shigure waved his hand in front of him, a sign of peace, "Hey, hey. You don't have to be so defensive... It was only a question, after all."

But Kureno didn't hear him, as he was still picturing Yume's image in his mind.

* * *

They laid upon one of the library's tables, both slightly intoxicated and tired, staring up at the ceiling. Inside Kureno's mind, his thoughts were reeling: thoughts about Yume, thoughts about their childhood, thoughts about why she'd been drinking champagne on the floor. He glanced over at her, catching her gaze briefly. They both immediately blushed, looking away. Kureno's was darker, though. 

"So, you're... You're a librarian," he said, slightly astonished. "I thought you wanted to be a teacher."

She sat up, taking another hurried swig of the nearly emptied liqour bottle, still adverting her eyes. "I did, until I realized I can't stand kids. Annoying little fucks, they are... Not that working the library's any better, really. Little things come in with their library cards, starved for stolen human dignity... No lies, if I have to read another childrens' book aloud, I think I'll scream."

Kureno shifted nervously.

She sighed, handing the bottle to Kureno. "So," she started, kicking a book off of the table with her foot, "what are you doing these days?"

"Oh..." he sighed, taking the last swig from the champagne with relish. "I'm... anou... somewhat of a secretary. For the family."

"For the family," she repeared, completely lost.

He smiled faintly, "The main house gives out quite a large amount of money grants and loans to businesses owned by those within the Souma clan. You'd be surprised how many."

"I see," she mused, sitting up again, looking at the clock on the wall. Only three hours left until she could go home.

Three hours until she could go home to an empty apartment and more cheap champagne, she thought. Looks like I'll have a rough Saturday night. In the back of her mind, she was grateful that no one had come into the library today, save Kureno. If she were to get caught laying on a table with a man on an alcohol-induced buzz...

"So, Kureno, do you have any plans for tonight?" Just curious, she told herself. It's not like I'm going to ask him out or anything, right?

He looked at his watch, "No. But I should probably get going... I have to go home to Akito-san."

"Akito-san?" Yume queried, feeling her heart twitch uncomfortably. She knew the name, of course... how could she not? But... from the way he said it... the way his voice sounded... Suddenly, realization washed over her. "Oh... _Oh_. Akito-san."

Kureno nodded, sliding off of the table. He smiled softly, politely, bowing in Yume's direction. "Thank you very much for your time, Yasukawa-san. I'm happy that I found you in good health."

"You know," she said, sounding more hopeful than she meant to, "y-you could just call me Yume..."

Expressionless, he bowed again, "Hai. Sayonara, Yume-s..." He caught himself, smiling with a slight blush tainting his pale face, "Yume."

He walked away, leaving her standing there in the middle of the library, staring nervously at the ground, holding her forearm awkwardly. What... What had just happened? Her heart froze. W-Wasn't Akito-san... a... a man, if she remembered correctly?

She flinched as the clock chimed twice.


	3. An Unexpected Invitation

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Yume awoke with a start the next morning, brown eyes dampened by a fading veil of tears. As the sounds of the morning doves' symphony filled her ears, she smiles, eyes closing as she's falling back into her sheets again. Ah... she'd seen Kureno yesterday. That's right...

He was just as beautiful, just as graceful as she had remembered him, even if he was slightly more mature and a tad less timid. She remembered the sensation she'd felt, staring up into his molten brown eyes, the surge of electricity that had shot through her everytime he blinked, like he was pulling a switch somewhere deep inside of her. The way he smiled at her, like nothing had ever happened... Like they were still kids again, happy and whole.

Though, in truth, the meeting had left her slightly shaken. So, he really _had_ remembered her... Despite everything, all of the agonizing memories, painstaking moments, he was still able to look at her with those big rust-hued eyes, still able to grin at her, still able to blush like their innocence had never faded. Even if his eyes were empty now, even if his smiles were hollow and frail...

Shaking herself out of her nostalgia, she pushed herself from her bed, pulling her blanket around her scantly clad torso. Shivering from the uncomfortable, halfway regretful feelings of her abandonment of her terribly alluring blankets scattered across her mattress, she willed herself to the kicthen, feet seeming to move on their own somehow. Thank God, she thought, glancing lustfully at the lukewarm bedding, it was a Sunday. The library was open, but another girl, Wakaba, was to attend to it. She smiled giddily, sliding on her slippers as she glided down the hall. Better her than she, after all.

Sliding open the partition to the kitchen, she covered her ears as her pet bird began to squawk, chirping its was onto her black list. At the moment, she really didn't care about it. All she wanted was some nice, steaming tea: something to wake her up and shoo all of the memories of yesterday away from her. She threw her blanket over the cage, muffling the bird's peeps. After all, it wasn't like they would meet again, right?

Smiling serenely at the thought of green tea and honey, trying hard to force Kureno's image out of her mind, she opened the cupboard, hands automatically reaching for the box of teabags. She blinked as her eyes groped around, holding them closed for a moment longer than natural. Where was the box? Her eyes opened as she felt her hand grasp hold of nothing but air time after time.

Looking into the depths of the shelving, she felt her heart drop as she saw a small note sitting there, folded in half on the shelf. She raised a brow, taking it between two long fingers, flipping it open curiously. She glared, eyes scanning over the words she'd written the morning before.

You're out, remember? Her words taunted her, seeming to lash out at her from the piece of paper. Sighing in defeat, she set the paper down, pouting. Well, at least she'd get some fresh air.

* * *

Yume sat on the bench at the park, face buried in her hands. Why? She just couldn't stop asking herself. Why did Kureno have to be so... so... perfect? So entirely unreachable? 

His clueless face was burned into her mind, making her ball her small fists and unwillingly allow more and more tears to seep from beneath her lashes. Why didn't he understand? Or, even if he did, why couldn't he even humor her? Did he _want_ to make her unhappy?

It had all started in the playground today, the one between the two schools. The boys school was on one side of the fence, the girls on the other. For recess, they would meet. She would see Kureno every day, and they would sit in the grass, usually not saying much of anything... Just listening to the wind blow and watching the clouds roll by.

Today, she'd decided in the morning, as she'd pulled her hair into a braid, pinning her favorite hair clip into place, she would make her move. She would let Kureno know exactly how much she liked him. He would finally understand.

She'd grabbed his hand, she'd smiled differently, she'd touched his arm. And all the while, he would just look at her, so painfully emotionless, wide brown eyes showing nothing but a childish curiosity. She was nearly disgusted. They were nine now, weren't they? Weren't boys supposed to understand that sort of thing by now?

She heard footsteps approaching her, but she ignored them. It was probably just Kureno, anyway, wondering what it was he'd done wrong, or one of her classmates, there to interrogate her with wave after wave of aggrivating questions. Just go away, she yelled in her mind. Just go!

But she was wrong.

"I understand how you feel," a slightly more mature voice asked, smoky and cocky, though they were doing well to hide the smirk from their words. She looked up, her eyes meeting a strong gray gaze. She felt her heart flutter a bit, surprised.

"Sh... Shigure-senpai?" she asked, the boy stepping closer. Kureno's cousin came so close to her that their knees were nearly touching, his legs bending and scarcely avoiding knocking against her own as he came eye-to-eye with her. What was he doing here?

"What... do you mean?" she managed, nearly choking on her words.

"I understand," was all he had to say. He took her hand in his.

He smiled, causing Yume's heart to flutter like it were a pair of whispy butterfly wings. He squeezed her hand gently, comfortingly.

"You're really pretty, you know," he said. "Really pretty. Kureno's so dense... He doesn't realize how close he's got you wrapped around him. It's sickening, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you want to die?"

Doe-eyed and confused, she stared at Shigure's handsome face for a moment, contemplating whatever the boy before her could mean. She knew she agreed, but...

But somehow, his words stung her like an angry wasp.

* * *

"Now, let's see..." Yume murmered quietly, eyes carefully scanning the rows of various spices. This shouldn't be that hard, she kept repeating in her mind. She'd been to this store hundreds of times before... the idea that she couldn't remember where to find the teabags, the only type she'd ever purchased from this store, no less, was inexcusable. 

Even now, after braving the outside world, she couldn't stop thinking about Kureno. Subconsciously, she kept looking over her shoulder, hoping wildly that, in some amazing turn of events, they would meet again. Then she could apologize for being so forward that afternoon.

Seeing the familiar looking box, she grabbed it, lightning-fast reflexes snatching it skillfully off of the shelf. She smiled proudly, holding it in her hand as she spun around, ready to head home. Now, she could go back to her apartment, turn on the television, and forget all about... -

Unexpectedly, she had bumped into someone, falling backwards and landing uncomfortably on the floor. She groaned in pain, reaching around for the box, not knowing where it had gone. Then, suddenly...

"Oh my, Yasukawa-san," said a familiar voice, "what a coincidence this is, ne?"

Her eyes widened, immediately looking upwards into those big gray eyes she'd come to know so painfully well over her childhood. The cool smirk, the dishevelled hair, the familiar stance...

"Wow!" she gasped. "Shigure. What a surprise."

The Dog smiled, laughing gracefully, "No kidding. I was just wondering about you recently, you know. It's so strange, running into you like this."

"Yeah," said Yume, a bit breathlessly as Shigure took her hand, helping her to her feet. She stumbled clumsily and he caught her mid-fall, carefully avoiding chest-to-chest contact. Yume felt like her heart was beating a mile a minute. Shigure... he'd become so darkly handsome, so enticing. Just like Kureno-kun had.

She smiled softly at him, bowing after she regained her composure. "Domo, Souma-san. I apologize for my lack of grace, making you help me up like that..."

"Oh, there's really no need for apologies," said Shigure. The words flowed out of his mouth in a steady, confident stream... just as she remembered him. He hadn't changed one bit. She felt her cheeks twinge as he winked at her, lips curved into a shrewd smile. "I'm always willing and ready to assist a damsel in distress." He bent over, picking up the box. The regal way he held himself made her knees weak.

"A-Ara... Arigatou gozaimasu," she stuttered, taking the package in her shaky hand. Shigure's smirk intensified, his gaze seeming to heat up like a lion eyeing its prey.

The silence scared her, especially with Shigure's foreign, gamesome glances rolling over her so brashly, so she blurted out, "This is such a coincidence. I just ran into Kureno last night, at the library... And now, I see you at the store. It's eerie, almost."

Shigure felt his gaze harden as she said Kureno's name, though she mustn't have noticed it. She'd seen him?

"You saw him?" He voiced the words as to cut straight through her. He fought his body's urge to clench his fists as he saw her give a wary nod in his direction.

"Maa," said Shigure, bordering on sounding short. "That's... remarkable, really."

"Yeah," she said, shuffling her feet nervously. "It is, isn't it?"

Staring down at her, leer widening as he realized that she must obviously not be enjoying the seemingly awkward silence, his mind began to reel. Kureno had been infatuated with this girl. So, naturally, whether she realized it at the time or not, he was bound to call her back...

... And, perhaps, this could work to his advantage.

He chuckled softly, taking her chin in his slightly calloused hands. "So, Yasukawa-chan... if it isn't so terribly forward of me... might we be able to meet for... oh, say, a date? It's been so long, I'd really love to catch up."

"A-Ara," she choked. "Well... Well, Shigure, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm seeing someone right now." She really hoped she wasn't blushing for telling such a nervy lie.

"Ah," he said, smiling. "I see." A look crossed his face she couldn't place, his hand reaching into his pocket. "Well, that's unlucky. You're still as pretty as I remember you." He scribbled down something onto a piece of paper, handing it to her nonchalantly. "But," he began, taking her hair between his forefinger and thumb, urging her slightly closer, "do feel free to call me, should you change your mind. The offer is open."

The look on her face was absolutely exhilerating.

"O-Of course!" said Yume, stuffing the paper into her pocket. "I will. Thank you very much, Souma-sa--"

He placed a finger to her lips, staring into her eyes for a moment, taunting her silently. He cut her off by this simple, gentle motion, leering in a watchful manner, turning on heel, "Shigure is fine." It was all he said, walking away towards the registers. The way his hips moved, the way he sounded so... cool. He was still the same as ever.

She held the tea to her close, watching him suspiciously for a moment more before turning around, back to the shelves.


	4. Something Like Ardor

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Kureno couldn't even remember what it felt like to be genuinely, truly excited, or even the last time he'd even begun to experience a feeling like that. But, when he'd looked down at Yume's face behind the counter, he thought he might have felt _something_ . Whether it was that type of exhileration he'd felt before, though, when he was younger and his own emotions didn't seem as foreign to him, or just the shock he'd taken it as, he wasn't sure. 

He hadn't slept at all last night, just laying there with Akito's arms wrapped around him, eyes drifting between the black abyss surrounding them and Akito's peaceful, sleeping expression. It had been one of those nights when she'd asked him to stay with her, when she seemed just like a child. And in that moment, he realized, as he'd looked down at his God's nearly serene face, that he just might have been lonely, just even the slightest bit, though he hadn't ever even considered he might feel that way before.

It was strange to him, considering the possibility that he might have wanted more than his sheltered, routine life, living in his mild seclusion as he had for the past twelve years. But what was even stranger was that he'd run into Yume, especially after he had been spending as much time thinking about her as he had lately. It was almost as though it was some sort of ironic, yet strangely welcome, destiny, even if he didn't really believe in things like that. But even so, as he'd seen her sitting there, completely immersed in that bottle of cheap champagne, then smiling at him as playfully as she had, he thought that he might even start to believe. Just a little, if it meant he could see that beautiful, happy smile, that had been missing for so long, that he hadn't even realized he'd missed, again.

His copper gaze trailing over to the library book sitting on the edge of his desk, he could see the dust falling through the air by means of the rays of sunlight streaming between the cracks in the curtains, downwards from the sky. The light fell over the cover of the novel, almost like it was telling him to go back to the library. For the obvious reason of returning it, yes, as he'd finished it already and it would be rude of him not to return it soon, but there was also that small, weak voice in the back of his mind telling him that maybe he could see her again, too. And that maybe she wanted to see him again as much as he wanted to see her.

"Maybe," he heard himself mutter, hand slowly moving outwards to reach for the paperback. His fingers lightly grazed the surface before he took it into his grasp, staring at it for a moment.

The image of her grin branded into his memory, he stood up from his desk chair, sighing smoothly. It couldn't hurt to try, he thought. Maybe he'd see her again. But if he didn't, he swore, taking his keys from the desk drawer, he wouldn't even think to try again.

* * *

A fourteen-year-old Kureno was sitting on the bench in the locker room, the faint sounds of the clocktower chiming, signaling the time to head for home. Tying his shoes, he could hardly hear the urgent footsteps coming closer to him with every second. He only vaguely wondered what the ruckus could be about, but was sure it couldn't be for him. It was probably just someone passing by in a hurry, or something... 

He was surprised when he heard someone speaking to him, in an only slightly familiar voice. He looked up warily, seeing the fastly approaching boy, whom was wearing a matching school uniform to his own. He bit his lip, sitting up.

"Kureno-san," said the boy from his class, whose name Kureno didn't really know, "your cousins are outside, waiting for you... I think you should take a look. Your one cousin, Shigure, is moving in on Yasukawa-san." The tone to the boy's voice confused Kureno, but he didn't show his utter befuddlement in fear of embarrassing himself.

Kureno couldn't help a curious brow arching, though, his gaze giving him the air of being rather surprised, "What do you mean, 'moving in on' ...?" The boy gave him an equally distressed look.

"Well," said the boy, shrugging, "you and Yasukawa-san are an item, right? That's what everyone is saying, anyway."

An item?

Kureno stood, taking his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He might as well try to stop Shigure-niisan, even if, in the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't do it. It was worth a try, though; Yasukawa-san was involved, so it made it worth it.

He headed to the courtyard, where he saw Shigure and Yume sitting on a bench together, Shigure's arm laced confidently around her waist, leering down at her. Yume, he noticed, was laughing, looking rather content. Somehow, though, Kureno didn't like the way Shigure's gaze kept drifting south to her chest, or the way Yume never seemed to be that airy around i him , whom she was obviously more intimate with. They were friends, right? And she hardly ever saw Shigure... as far as he knew... and hoped. So why was Shigure able to get more from her than Kureno could?

He saw Ayame-niisan move in on her, too, taking her hand in his and smiling devilishly. Kureno couldn't smile like that, or even like Shigure was smiling, all smart and cocky as it looked. They looked so much more... rogue. So much more that it made him slightly annoyed. Maybe he should go over there and stick up for himself, and Yume, and tell Shigure to knock it off.

Kureno pulled his bag closer to him, shaking his head slightly and walking away down the sidewalk. Like they'd even listen.

* * *

Walking up the steps to the library, Kureno held the book to his chest. His heart was pounding slightly, hoping to himself that she would be there, nearly frozen in fear at the idea that she might not be. It wasn't so strong, though, that he was only setting himself up for a disappointment. That would be worse than if she would reject him, the idea of not even seeing her. 

He pushed the doors open, stepping into the grand, old building. It was slightly more crowded, he noticed vaguely, than it had been when he'd visited yesterday. He hoped he wouldn't have any trouble finding her...

To his luck, he didn't, his eyes immediately catching her standing behind the desk he'd caught her at the last time, phone sandwiched between her ear and her shoulder. Her eyes casually drifted over to him, and he felt himself blush, the light filling her expression giving him that soft feeling of what he thought might have been excitement, just like it had before. He stepped closer, despite his senses telling him to leave.

She hung up the phone as he moved closer, leaning on the counter, smiling cheerfully. As soon as he was within arms length of the librarian's station, he set the book down, hands immediately moving into the depths of his pockets, jumbling around nervously. He heard Yume giggle.

"Welcome back," she greeted, winking. He felt his blush intensify. She chuckled again. "You're cute when you blush..." He let himself laugh, this time, if even only slightly, as her own face reddened as she said that. Maybe she wasn't as confident as he might have assumed from yesterday...

"Good morning," he said, not knowing what else to say. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she sighed, setting the book underneath the counter. He heard her foot clunk against something that sounded like another empty wine bottle. "Or, rather, I'll be fine as soon as I've had another one of those." Was she an alcoholic, or something?

He decided not to ask her, stuttering out, "W-Well... Forgive me, if this sounds outlandish, but I was wondering... well, hoping, rather, that if you didn't have any prior engagements..."

Her eyes goaded him on.

"Um..."

In the back of his mind, he was beating himself up over his shyness. He'd known her for nearly ten years before he had to quit seeing her, hadn't he? So why did it have to be this difficult?

She laughed softly, clucking her tongue, "You want a date, is that right?" Kureno felt as though a heavy, terrible weight had been lifted off his shoulders, but the feeling that replaced it was just as horrid.

"N-Not a date, per say," he said, cheeks burning. "Just... it's been so long. I want to catch up. It would be a shame to let an opportunity to spend time with such an old friend pass by."

She smiled giddily, hand reaching out to ruffle his hair, "All right, then. But can we call it a date, though? Please?"

Kureno didn't quite know how to respond. "Well... I... guess, if that's... what you want..."

Yume gave a girlish grin again, "Fun. I'll meet you here, at... seven, unless ...?"

"Seven is fine." He was immensely relieved to feel his blush deteriorate. "I'll... see you then." She nodded, lips twirked upwards in an inviting smile. He bowed slightly, turning on heel. Now, if he could just make his exit smoothly, the expedition could be considered a success.

He heard her giggle as he tripped over his own feet, stumbling through the threshold. Smooth, Kureno. Real smooth.

* * *

The walk back to her apartment was eerily quiet, neither of them saying much. It was a depressingly perfect way to conclude their date, which, in all honesty, while it hadn't been terrible, had been incredibly awkward. They'd had their fill just sitting there, sending cute, content looks back and forth, in bouts of an adolescent sort of flirting. They'd dropped their chopsticks, stumbling with their food and such, timidly hoping that the other didn't find them to be completely idiotic. 

Yume couldn't help her smile. It was the date she'd never been able to have during their teenage years: just what she'd been hoping for. It filled the gap in her heart nicely, but left another gaping one where her desire for an adult date had once been.

In turn, she was sad when she saw her apartment complex coming up in the distance, the light radiating from where she knew her bedroom to be shouting at her like her mother would have, had she lived to see this and Yume were still a reckless teenager. She sent a listless glance over at Kureno, who seemed to be very intensely interested in his shoelaces, as his eyes never left them. She grabbed his hand, smiling as his face jerked around to meet her glance with a shy look. It went away as quickly as it had come, though, like the wind, his face quickly morphing back into the solemn man he'd become. She couldn't catch that boyish expression again, as much as she wanted to, and she really had tried.

This can't end this way, she thought desperately to herself. If he left, would he ever come back? Would he ever visit her again? The thought of that, living her life without him now that she had finally brought him back... well... it was nearly unbearable. Completely cruel.

She had to make her move. She had to give him something that would keep him coming back for more.

They came up to the steps, and she squeezed his hand as they stopped before them. She sent a strong, sultry glance to him, her dark brown eyes filling with suggestiveness like a bathtub fills with water. And for the first time all night, surprisingly enough, he seemed calmer than ever.

"Do you want to come up for a drink?" _Please, please catch on._

"Sure, I suppose. Thank you." _Does she mean what I think she does? _

"Uh-huh," she said, nearly dragging him through the doors, to the elevator. God, if this went the way she wanted it to...

The doors opened, and they stepped through, Kureno standing tall in the elevator as Yume slumped against the wall. She felt her hands, moving by some unknown, alien will, lightly running down the top of his shoulder, down his arm. Kureno felt himself give an enthusiastic shudder. While, in the back of his mind, he could hear Akito yelling at a maid, demanding that she tell her where he'd run off to as she'd undoubtedly done in the few hours he'd been missing.

No, he thought. Don't let Akito stop you.

They quickly hurried to her door, the hallway seeming to grow longer and longer as they walked. Finally reaching the doorway, pushing through it. She gasped as she felt Kureno pull her to him, lifting her into his hands and into a scorching kiss. They moved to the couch, Kureno straddling her. She wondered if this was as close to heaven as she'd ever get.

Kureno could still hear Akito in his mind. The way he was coming onto Yume, the way he was completely ravaging her, he knew it wasn't him. It wasn't like it was when he was with Akito: with Akito, he was slow, and it was all about her. Whatever made her happy, he told himself. Whatever it took to bring her back from the dark, angry person she'd become.

But with Yume, somehow... it felt unnatural.

He pulled away, looking down at her glazed eyes, confusion and worry spreading across her face. He'd never seen anyone look at him that way before...

... It just wasn't right. Not yet, he told himself. Just not yet.

He left as silent as he came, rising to his feet and turning for the door. Yume stood up, fear etched into her face, eyes wide. She reached out for him as he reached for the door handle, glancing over his shoulder at her. Those eyes...

"Kureno?" Her voice was somewhere between a whisper and a cry.

Just like the man who had just been sitting atop her moments ago, touching her like he had everything to lose... the man slamming the door behind him hadn't been him, either.

Yume felt that feeling again, the feeling she'd felt after he'd left yesterday... That feeling of loneliness, of emptiness; that feeling she hated with all of her being. Everything seemed like too much to bear, even the silence he'd left her in, standing in the middle of the sitting room floor like a fool. It was all over.

Her fist clenching for a moment, she heaved a quaking sigh, sitting down gracefully on the couch, reaching for the piece of scrap paper on the coffee table and her phone. Dialing in the number, she couldn't believe herself. Why would she even consider this? Kureno-kun had just left, they had just...

But maybe that was why.

She heard the voice on the other end of the line answer, reverberating through her mind in a loud, ominous echo. Her heart was pounding with every breath she heard him take.

Her voice was strangled and small, the wonderful feelings of Kureno's hands still roving over her. "Hello, Shigure. It's... it's Yume." She hated the feel of those hands, those hands that had left her broken and alone. He was still just as negligent as he'd been back then. He was still the same...

"Mm. Good. I just _knew_ you would call."

They were all just the same.


	5. Empty Vows

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Kureno didn't know why he figured that Akito would never find out about his reunion with Yasukawa-san. He supposed he just hadn't been thinking straight, or that perhaps he'd not done his part to cover up any suspicious traces left over from the night before, or that maybe someone had tipped her off. As much as it forced him to feel regret for his actions... Maybe this was what he deserved.

As he tried to avoid her heated, irritable gaze, he let a small frown grace his supple lips, trying his hardest to force some words from between them, only to find that his efforts were done in vain. Russet eyes closing humbly, he bowed his head, his palms sweaty and his heart thumping like a rabbit. He hadn't meant to get her angry, but how could he pass up meeting with Yume?

"So," she said, and much to Kureno's surprise, he found her voice light, "you've seen her again? That girl from your school?" She took a sip of her tea, watching him with a poorly attempted calmness. Inside them, a fire was raging.

"I did," answered Kureno, nodding the slightest bit. "I apologize for not telling you."

The Goddess before him let out a breathy laugh, setting her tea onto the table, twiddling with her thumbs in a very uncharacteristic manner. Kureno lifted his gaze to stare at her hands, fumbling nervously, as though trying to hold back whatever emotions were burning through her facade.

"Actually," she chided, "I'm curious. How did you come to see her? It's so... sudden." Kureno fidgeted nervously. In the back of his mind, he made a mental note not to let even a word come from him that might put Yume into a vulnerable position. He knew Akito could get to her, if she really felt it to be necessary. Images of Hatori and Kana pressed into his mind and he forced himself to fight the sudden urge to shudder.

"I went to rent a book from the library," he stated plainly. Each word was carefully thought out. "It just so happened that Yume was working there, though, admittedly, it was I who asked her to accompany me to dinner last night."

"Surprisingly enough," said Akito, eyes narrowing. "You call her by her first name... 'Yume.' How brash." She took a moment to consider her next words, then murmured, "After all... I was under the impression that I had told you not to speak with her again, all that time ago. And surely, after it has been as long as it has, it's odd of you to refer to her so informally. You promised me you wouldn't speak to her, not ever again, ne, Kureno? You've not forgotten ...?"

"No," said Kureno. "I have not."

Akito let out a silky chuckle, standing up, beckoning him to follow suit. He did, reluctantly standing, towering over her minute figure as she moved before him, smiling upwards in a sickly sweet fashion, staring straight into his eyes. He didn't flinch as she reached up to touch his face, even if, in fact, the feelings from his close encounter with Yasukawa-san were still very evident.

"Ashes to ashes, though," she sighed. "Don't worry yourself, Kureno... I'll not hold it against you. After all, it would be terribly inconsiderate of me."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," thanked Kureno, inclining his head, looking downwards at her. She smirked in response, tugging him down to her own level. As soon as her lips touched the shell of his ear, she whispered, making Kureno's heart freeze.

"I'd like a meeting with her, as well."

* * *

It was hard to describe a man like Souma Shigure. One minute, he could be staring off into the distance, hard-eyed and frowning, but could be smiling and flirting boldly the next. In one sense, he was entirely mature - threateningly so, with that dangerously practiced smirk and set of mind-numbing, nearly obsidian eyes. And yet, he was still just as he was as a fourteen-year-old. 

Maybe she just had never noticed it before, not taking the time or the initiative. Of course, in all fairness, this could be the large bottle of sake thinking for her, but who was to judge?

She'd felt his eyes fall over her all night; she'd felt her heart ache, wishing with such strange forcefulness that she thought it mustn't be herself, that it was Kureno instead. More than anything, she wanted to retry their date: she wouldn't push him into joining her upstairs, she wouldn't flaunt herself like a starving prostitute, she wouldn't cry after he left. She wouldn't be so empty anymore.

Shigure and Yume sat there in deafening silence, Yume's cheeks burning as he ate his food, a dark expression looming stubbornly upon his face. It'd been there all night, during those rare, taunting moments when he hadn't been turning on his charms, making witty comments and smiling at her with those mesmeric lips of his...

He spoke suddenly, setting his chopsticks down upon the surface of the table loudly, as to attract her attention. Her heart froze when he looked at her, her eyes widening the slightest, most insignificant way. That sultry look in his eyes, that comely leer curving his lips... In the back of her mind, she tried to will herself to advert her attention elsewhere, to not stare at him with that awed look for any longer than she already had.

She was condemning herself, she knew, and not to mention was also damning whatever chance remained of her and Kureno getting together.

It was like Shigure had read her mind.

"I'm worried about you," he mock-confessed in a serious tone, though she didn't catch the masterfully shadowed deception that laced his words. "I don't think you should continue seeing Kureno. You and I both know that it will most likely go nowhere."

It was exactly what she wanted to her. ... Obviously, she couldn't have it.

"But..." she trailed off, her meek voice overcome by Shigure's own.

"I mean it," said Shigure. "We are both well aware of his numbness, ne? After all, do you not remember him as he used to be? That way he used to look at you, loveless and lifeless... You'd cry about; it hurt you so deeply that I don't think even you realized how deep some wounds, those wounds, can run. And even then, I was the only one that could make you see that we both knew he could never love you fully in that way you so desired."

"Now, wait here," said Yume, beginning to force through the intoxicated haze from the rice wine. "Kureno-kun may be just that little bit indifferent, but don't go talking about him as though he is incapable of feeling. I... I know, that somewhere, even in his most deep, dark place, he must feel _something_ for me... and even a tiny, single spark can lead to a forest fire. Who knows where this could lead... !" She looked away, gaze antipathic and embarrassed. Shigure smirked, had reaching across the table to take her chin in his forefingers. She looked at him reluctantly, not wanting those eyes to take hold of her again.

"It is cute," he remarked, chuckling, "that you think that." He ran his thumb smoothly across her cheek, staring straight into her eyes, "Yume. I have something to ask of you."

"What is it?" said Yume.

That smirk crossed his face again.

"Why don't we head back to your place? I can make it go away." His voice was sensuous and warm.

She looked at him warily, eyes narrowed slightly as a shaky hand reached out to bring her sake glass to her lips. The magnetic connection between their eyes never faltered once, Shigure appearing as calm as can be while Yume's insides rotated like a ferris wheel within her. How could she say no to that?

She let out, in a quivering voice, "Do you promise?"

His nod was all she needed.

* * *

Yume pulled the sheets tightly around her body, glaring at the blank space on her bedroom wall. She heard Shigure's movements beside her, cloth slipping against skin as he redressed. The sound of his motions beside her made her sick to her stomach, mind mired in thoughts and memories from the passing hour and a half long romp. 

He hadn't kept his promise, as Kureno's face wouldn't - nay, couldn't - get out of her mind. As much as she tried to block it, as much as she tried to cast it away... It was like a persistent nightmare, only with so much more wonderful and welcome.

Shigure's hand ran up her side, tangling his fingers with her long brown locks of hair. He kissed her on the cheek. As he did, it suddenly became clear to her that there was a vague sound coming from the living room. She brushed it off, pulling the sheets closer to her still.

"I didn't mean to scratch you," he said idly, "but it's not bad."

"Hm," she sounded, sounding rather disinterested. He chuckled, but said nothing to counter it.

He stepped away, hearing the faint beeping coming from her sitting room. He peeked out the door, a look of revelation crossing his handsome face. He looked back to her, the feel of his stare upon her forcing her to meet his gaze with her own.

"You have a message on your machine," said Shigure offhandedly. Yume didn't pay much attention. He yawned, "I think I should be getting home... I wouldn't want Tohru-kun to worry."

She shook her head. He nodded, smirking. He winked to her, making her cheeks turn the smallest bit rosy.

"Oyasumi nasai," said Shigure. She nodded back, feeling strangely relieved as she heard the door close behind him. But even the safe feeling of being alone couldn't keep her from crying.

She buried her face into her pillow, sobbing in bouts of apologies and Kureno's name.


	6. Olden Bets and Lonely Eyes

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Kureno's hands jumbled around in his coat pockets nervously, house keys jingling as the smooth fabric of the jacket's innards slipped over his skin. Deep russet eyes, looking deadened and muted, took in the sight of the library in the distance, looming over the street, his heart thumping quickly, just as it had before his last, fateful visit. He could still hear the strangled, hurt cry of his name passing from her lips, the sound of the door slamming behind him...

He wasn't sure why he was as nervous as he was, nor was he sure what awaited him behind those heavy, wooden doors. He was frightened to see her, though it wasn't so much _her_ that he was terrified of seeing. It was the possible look in those lonely chocolate eyes: looks of hurt, looks of scorn. Looks that would reject him and send him straight out the door.

Even if that were to happen, he knew he couldn't just leave without a word, as much as he knew he would want to. Akito wanted to see her, and Yume hadn't called him back. If Yume didn't want to see him ever again, she never had to, and he would never have to see those eyes look at him ever again. If Akito didn't get what she wanted, he would have to endure her ruthlessness and emotional upset every single day. All he could pray for was that he could make them _both_ happy, at least for the time being, if possible... If this relationship with his former childhood friend were to somehow continue, one of the two women in his life would end up getting the shorter end of the stick... Almost undeniably, he knew it would be Yume.

After all, God's wrath and will were far too great a power to ignore.

He reached a tentative hand out for the door handle, fingers twitching slightly out of unease and apprehension. What sort of necromancy could it possibly be that would make him this excruciatingly neurotic? Why him?

A deep intake of breath and a slightly shove opened the doors, stepping through the threshold, his heart pounding like a wardrum. And, surely enough, she stood there, shielded partially by a tall stack of heavy-looking novels and texts. She didn't notice him walk in.

His feet moving forwards by some unexplainably confident means, he made to stand before her, hands set upon the counter. He could smell the scent of her perfume, and suddenly, the assertiveness was lost. His cheeks reddened, although they had already been flushed as a result of the mid-winter's chill.

She seemed to adknowledge a presence, as she moved to stand in front of him, muttering, "Can I help..." her eyes drifted upwards, her voice rising an octave, "... you?"

The stares were held for a moment, neither of the two saying anything. Her mouth opened, as though she were about to speak, but another voice cut in, interrupting their staring contest.

"Yasukawa-san," said a teenaged, male voice, "sumimasen... Where is the history section again?"

Yume smiled kindly in the intruder's direction, turning to look at the boy, whose pale hair and eyes made Kureno think strongly of Yuki. It wasn't him, however, obviously, so he did not stare. He adverted his attention to the countertop as he listened in.

"Back corner," said Yume, and out of the corner of Kureno's eye, he could see her gesture to the east wing of the building. "Make sure you put it in its correct place, too, Sato-kun."

"I will, I will," sighed the boy. "Domo, Yasukawa-san."

She nodded at him, sending him away. He could feel a pulse of something foreign pump through him as her eyes were redirected to linger on him once more.

"New kid," explained Yume. "He just can't seem to keep it together, forgetting stuff left and right..." She trailed off, breaking into a sneeze.

"Are you not well?" asked Kureno, only now beginning to notice that her voice had been rather hoarse.

"It ins't anything I won't recover from," she replied. When their stares met again, he could see the faint spark of some hostile feeling lingering in her irises. He fumbled with his coat nervously, looking away.

"I apologize for showing up so suddenly," said Kureno, still not meeting her gaze for fear of seeing that spark give way to wildfire, "but I did call you, days ago. I left you a message."

Yume could hear Shigure's note of that fact ring through her mind, and she blushed slightly, directing her attention to the stack of books before her.

"Oh, that's right... Shigure said something about that," said Yume. "Maa, I'm sorry, then... Would you mind helping me carry these?" She gestured to the pile of hardcovers sitting on the counter. "Some bastard checked out an entire collection of encyclopedias, and I'm not exactly the strongest person in the world."

Kureno nodded, taking three of the five books into his own arms. In the back of his mind, however, he couldn't help but wonder... what did she mean about Shigure?

Kureno stared at the pavement beneath his feet, watching as his toes hopped over the lines in the sidewalk. He wasn't walking with Shigure-niisan and the others today, and because of that, he couldn't listen in on what they were saying for entertainment. So, he had to find _some_ way of occupying himself... it just so happened that he wasn't the most imaginative person, and this was what he came up with.

From behind him, he heard that familiar, masculine male voice, the one that he knew belonged to Shigure, calling out to him. He paused mid-jump, nearly falling on his face as he turned his head to look at the oncoming, older boy. The Dog caught up with him easily.

"I thought you were staying after school with Ayame-niisan and Hatori-niisan," said Kureno offhandedly. Shigure shrugged.

"Nah," replied the elder. "I was just hanging around waiting for them to get off of Council duty. I was, instead, spending time with Yasukawa Yume-kun."

This made Kureno look up nervously, his brown eyes boring into Shigure's charcoal gray depths. "What did you need with Yasukawa-chan?"

Shigure ignored the question, saying, "She's cute, an?" This made Kureno blush. "I think she likes you, too. You'd be an idiot not to go for her."

"We're only friends, Shigure-niisan," replied Kureno, almost too quickly. "Besides, I don't know how she could like me that way when she's always so happy to be around _you_." Shigure didn't seem to notice the well-shielded hint of disdain that lay within his words, as he merely chuckled in response.

"An, yeah," he sighed. He hit Kureno's shoulder, slightly too rough for it to be friendly. "We'll see who gets to her first, then."

All Kureno could do was grit his teeth and nod.

* * *

Kureno quietly followed Yume to the area of the library where the books were to be held. All the while, though, as he trudged behind her, he'd been thinking about what might have transpired between Shigure and the woman before him. Obviously, he concluded, she'd seen him. And... he'd been in her apartment for some reason. Somehow, he didn't like where his thoughts were leading him. 

He didn't think it would have been right of him to ask. After all, what was her business was her business. And Kureno didn't have a right to pry... -

"Yume," he said, suddenly, looking up to meet her gaze as it was drawn to him, "what did you mean about Shigure?"

Like he really could have not asked.

She laughed nervously, "Well, ano... We had dinner together a few nights ago. We met in a convenience store the day after I saw you, the afternoon before he went on our date... and, well, I was upset after you'd left, so..."

"So you called Shigure," he finished for her, looking away. Yume swatted his shoulder.

"Lighten up, Kureno," said Yume. "It's not like it meant anything..." ... but sex, of course, and she didn't dare say anything about that to the Ondori before her. Her words weren't enough to convince Kureno, however, and she could blatantly tell.

She nervously switched the subject as she pushed the last book into the shelving, "So, ano, what did you call for? I'm sorry I never called back, but I hardly ever check my messages. I'm usually too tired after I get home to do much of anything."

"Oh," said Kureno. "Well, you see... Well, do you remember Akito-san at all? I don't think you two ever formally met, but I'm relatively sure I must have said something about he-... him, at one point or another." He mentally slapped himself for nearly calling Akito female, but Yume didn't seem to have noticed that he'd slipped up at all.

"Oh, yeah," said Yume, nodding. "I do. So, what about him?"

"Well," started Kureno, sighing a bit, "he would like to meet with you, face-to-face, and in the near future. I apologize if he seems forward, but..."

"Sure," said Yume, shrugging, cutting him off. "What, it's not like he's some sort of moster or something, right? Don't look so worried." Kureno shuddered, knowing that Yume really didn't have much knowledge of the younger woman to support her words.

"Yes," replied Kureno, nodding. "I'll tell him you agreed... Is tomorrow around noon all right with you?"

She nodded, "Mmhmm. I can always take off a day from work... So, I'll see you then, ne?"

He nodded, sparing her a polite smile. He bowed slightly, before turning on heel, but Yume's voice stopped him before he could leave.

"I'm sorry, though," she called to him. Heturned around to look her in the eye. "For worrying you."

He didn't know how to respond, so, he simply bowed again, making Yume smile. And somehow, it seemed as though that smile was worth a thousand thank-you's.


	7. Faint of Heart

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Yasukawa Yume sat across the kotatsu from Souma Akito, sitting neatly on her knees and wearing her best clothes. Nervously holding her teacup, she watched Akito's movements closely, attempting to mimic him in hopes of coming across as worthy of whatever approval he was willing to bestow. He hadn't said anything yet to her, so she assumed that she was rightful in thinking that their meeting had already gotten off to a bad start.

In the back of her mind, as much as she didn't like to think of it as she knew it would only make her more afraid than she already was, she knew that winning this man over would be the first step to actually rebuilding a relationship with Kureno, if at all possible. What made it even more important was that, from the way Kureno had spoken of him at the library that one afternoon, it sounded like they were _together_. Which would make Kureno... well, she'd rather not consider that possibility, either way. She could get answers from this boy, if she played her cards right.

The sounds of the windchimes ringing, coming from near the open window, were peaceful and tranquil, causing Yume to feel more at ease than she knew she probably should have been. She had to be on her toes. She had to impress him.

She didn't feel Akito's eyes branding her skin, examining her as though she were a piece of meat or a toy that was being bought for a favorite child. She felt like she was on the auctioneer's block, though, nonetheless, with her hair pinned up and her face practically painted on, even without noticing the way his eyes roved over her. She took another sip from her glass, avoiding Akito's gaze for as much longer as she possibly could. For someone so young, he was surely intimidating.

Until finally, she heard him speak, "Tell me what you intend to make of Kureno." His voice was short and sharp, bringing a painful jolt of shock from somewhere deep within Yume's body. She heard the boy cough into the sleeve of his kimono.

She looked up to meet his gaze, "I suppose... a... friend of sorts." Her words were perfectly controlled, although however greatly she wanted to run away from the pavillion-like building and leave him, and she congratulated herself for their percision.

"Of sorts," the boy repeated, looking into her rich brown depths critically. "What, pray tell, do you mean by that?"

"As in whatever both you and he agree on," replied Yume, "or want. I will be to him whatever you deem acceptable, Akito-san."

He nodded. "Good answer," he remarked, face apparently blank, "but what if I were to tell you to leave him alone entirely?" She then noticed the smirk on his face, and she felt like her heart dropped to the depths of her stomach. How was she supposed to answer that?

"I-I suppose," she started, cursing herself for stuttering, "that I would do just that."

Akito's eyes narrowed slightly, "Then it would seem," he said coldly, "that you do not care for Kureno much at all, then. From what I have heard about you, Yasukawa-san, I was expecting a much different answer."

"What I mean is that it would be rude of me to interfere within his family," said Yume quickly, attempting to redeem herself. "I wouldn't want him to have to go through any sort of suffering at home."

Akito nodded again, making a wave of relief wash over Yume's body. Akito nearly smiled at her, though whether it was genuine or not, Yume could not tell. She took another sip of her tea.

"Another good answer," noted Akito. The boy smiled happily, "I apologize if I seemed rude. I just don't want Kureno to get hurt, is all, you understand... He's great, ne?"

Yume nodded, allowing a small smile to cross her own lips, "Hai. He... really is." She couldn't help but notice the slight look of animosity hiding in his dark eyes.

Akito set down his cup, and said, with mock enthusiasm, "An, but you've missed so much, haven't you? You haven't seen him for twelve years, after all."

"I suppose I have missed a lot," said Yume. "Has anything interesting really happened to him?"

"Not so much 'interesting,'" replied Akito, "but some things, nonetheless. But, before I divulge... let me ask you a question, Yasukawa Yume-san."

Yume nodded obediantly, looking on curiously.

There was a long pause, before, "... Do you _like_ Kureno? Romantically, I mean."

Caught off guard, she didn't know how to respond. How could she admit that to Akito, when she didn't know what sort of answer he wanted, or expected? She could screw this up royally if she just spoke on a whim, but what else could she -

Akito's impatiently said, "Well? Do you?" Yume wasn't sure how she should answer. Should she tell the truth or not?

Deciding on an answer, she looked Akito straight in the eye, and said, "I don't know." Akito looked about ready to comment, but Yume spoke first, "I might have, at one point, a very long time ago, I will admit that much. But now... You have to remember that I only just saw him not even a week ago. I will admit that I am attracted to him, but as for romantically interested, I cannot truthfully answer until I've spent a little more time with him."

Akito shut his mouth, which had been slightly open throughout her answer, and regarded her carefully, looking over her as though attempting to make a major decision about something. Finally, he caught her gaze, and nodded, just as he had when he was pleased with her other answers. Yume could have jumped, she was so relieved.

"Then, I suppose you won't mind if I tell you what I have to say," said Akito, his voice slightly softer than it had been before. Yume listened keenly, intruiged.

The boy continued, "I'm rather sure Kureno hasn't told you this, but I believe you're... trustworthy enough to know." Akito's dark eyes had glittered as he spoke, watching her with an almost fastidious expression. He smirked, "Kureno and I have a strange sort of relationship. He takes care of me, in a way, and he would do most anything for me. He wouldn't dare reveal any of my secrets to someone like you - no offense meant, of course."

Yume replied slowly, carefully, "None taken."

Akito sighed, "As I was saying, there is something very important that you must know if you really do intend to keep this little fling of yours going with one of _mine_, especially one like Kureno. Can you keep a secret?" Akito allowed his dark, cold eyes to seep into Yume's, and she became infatuated with the strange, menacing glow they husbanded. She nodded.

"Believe it or not... I am female. Kureno is not my 'lover', per say, but even so, we've slept together. And as such, as I am his God, he _belongs_ to me, and only me. I won't have _you_ whisking into the picture and taking him away from me when I have him held in such regard." Yume's eyes widened, and she ungracefully, bluntly, dropped her teacup. Akito let a small laugh slip through her lips.

"You're... you're serious." Akito only smirked.

Akito took a sip of her tea before continuing, disregarding Yume's startled expression. "Hai. My mother, for a reason I shan't reveal to you, as it is not your place to know, raised me as a boy. I've known Kureno since childhood, and he has remained with me, even now that he is not of the Juunishi. I'm just saying these things as that you don't set yourself up for a let-down."

Yume couldn't figure out the reason behind the nonchalant way that the younger woman before her had said those things, even as that brash warning lay open in the air. Yume wondered... what did she mean?

"I don't understand."

Akito gave her annoyed look, "Well, isn't it obvious? It is obvious he feels some sort of loyalty to me, regardless of whether or not he has a stupid, mundane, little crush on you. All I am implying is that you shouldn't allow yourself to become too attached to him..." She laughed slightly, "After all, who is he more likely to end up choosing? Me, his God, or some common wretch like you?"

... Wretch? "Ano... I... I suppose you, obviously." Her voice was quiet, slightly broken. Is this what Kureno had been thinking of that night? When he'd been laying atop her, touching her... was he really just thinking of... Akito?

"Aw," cooed Akito, chuckling vaguely, "did I hurt your feelings? It's true, you know..." Akito stood, moving to stand before Yume, taking a strand the older woman's dark auburn locks between her fingers. "Please, though, do be gentle. Kureno is so fragile... Be good to him for me, won't you? Even if things don't work out." Yume looked up into the younger girl's eyes, her own slightly tear-laden, and Akito smirked, that same hint of hazy rivalry still threateningly apparent. "At least you're a pretty, little thing."

* * *

Kureno sat in his study, tapping away at his keyboard. As the lengthy business letter grew, droning on and on, he was only thinking about them: Akito and Yume. He'd dared not ask to be a guest, knowing Akito would surely not allow it under any possible circumstance, but still, how could he not want to know whatever Akito had done? He scolded himself for his lack of faith, but, in the end, he knew that this must have been more than a casual meeting for tea... no matter how Akito had advertised it. 

He sighed, stopping his typing abruptly. Why, he wondered, did this bother him so much? It wasn't as though he and Yume were still teenagers. He was past whatever crush or infatuation he'd felt towards her... He'd told himself that hundreds of times over the past few days. It was unthinkable that he might harbor anything like that. After all, what were the chances that Yume would be able to accept his feelings? Akito, surely, would not have it. And, in a way... neither would he. And, of course, it was not as though Yume were not attractive, but...

He was brought from his mental ramblings as he heard the familiar tapping of the maid's sandals growing louder and louder, as though one of the staff was running towards him. He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder swiftly, pushing open the shoji door that separated his office from the outdoors. And, sure enough, there was a maid, scurrying in his direction.

"Kureno-san!" gasped the young woman, looking up at him. "Please, can you call an ambulance? A guest has collapsed on the path, and you were the first person I could find, so--"

"What was the guest's name?" asked Kureno quickly, heart seeming to stop. Was it --?

"Ano," hummed the maid, distressed, "it was one of Akito-san's guests... Yasukawa-san, I believe?"

Kureno stood up, taking his cell phone out of his pocket, looking out onto the path, where, sure enough, a thin, brunette woman laid unconscious upon the stones. Eyes widening, he handed the phone to the maid, moving swiftly towards Yume's crumpled form. He kneeled down beside her, noticing the pool of blood that mixed in with her dark auburn mane. He took in a startled gasp as he saw her eyes flutter open. She sat up slightly trying her hardest to support herself on her wobbly, weakened arms. Kureno's hand instinctively moved out to help her, and she moved her gaze to mix with his own.

"Ku... reno?"

All he could do was wonder when he caught her as she fell.


	8. Mischievous Designs

**Animedreamer240:** An! Thanks very much for all of the reviews. I hope not to disappoint with the new update.  
**Chibi Kumagoro:** Thanks!

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

What was that... that _throbbing_ feeling? What were those noises, fading in and out of her ears? Why was there that stinging sensation tingling at the back of her skull?

Yume's senses were dulled and warped, and the small beeps (or, at least, what she _thought_ were beeps) and deep, quiet bumbling coming from beside her sounded surreal. She wondered if she was really hearing these things, or maybe she'd suffered some sort of brain damage... ?

A familiar voice, as the murmurs became clearer and her hearing, sharper, asked, "Naruhodo... What might have caused her to collapse, doctor?" Kureno. It must be.

A doctor? Perhaps she was in a hospital... But why was she even in the hospital? She'd collapsed?

Another voice answered, though this one was completely foreign to her, as far as she knew in her slack state. "Stress, I'd say." He took a short pause. "The most likely explanation is that she overworked herself... Has she been under any difficult circumstances lately, Yasukawa-san?"

... _Yasukawa-san_ ...? If she were able, she would have blushed. This man... this "doctor"... He thought that Kureno was... her... what?

It seemed as though Kureno's reaction was strikingly similar. "Eto... It's Souma-san. We aren't of direct relations."

"I see, I see," said the doctor. "Let me apologize, then. I merely assumed you were a couple... Terribly presumptuous. Gomen."

Kureno's voice seemed to be caught in a limbo, somewhere between embarrassment and amusement as he answered, "No, no. It's fine. You don't have to apolo-" Yume heard herself give a smothered, faint moan of pain. It had cut him off, his auburn gaze turning quickly to rest nervously upon, at least what he believed to be, her "unconscious" form. Just as she could see him through the bottoms of her eyelashes...

"Ah, it seems as though the sedative has worn off..." That alien voice, the voice of the doctor, spoke again. She heard him rummage through his pockets, and a quiet grunt pass from between his lips. What could he be looking for? In the glint of the sunlight, she saw a syringe being held in his hands.

The last thing she felt was the sharp pang of a needle pressing into her wrist before her eyes drooped closed once again.

* * *

Kureno sat beside her sleeping form, sitting mildly on the bed, eyes boring into her pale-skinned face. He could see the faint scratches left to mar her forehead: remnants, he assumed, of her fall. She had, apparently, taken quite a hit.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but assume that maybe... something had aggravated it? He shook his head, pushing petty accusations aside. Even so... It was strange, if even only slightly, that she would collapse on the sidewalk like that, from nothing else other than stress. Though, she had her reasons, didn't she? Akito... Well, he'd figured she would have been nervous, but falling unconscious, out-of-the-blue...

Slowly, his hand reached outwards, fingers lightly grazing the wound on her skull. His hand jerked back when he heard her whimper, a sting running through the nerves in his hand at the shock. Had he hurt her?

She rolled over a bit, her eyes fluttering open, and Kureno swore he saw the faintest traces of a smile cross her lips as her lids lifted fully. Still, even with her reassuring grin, the look in her eyes told him explicitly that the gash on her crown was bringing her a troublesome deal of pain.

It could have killed him.

"I... I was afraid we'd lost you," said Kureno, attempting to keep his words steady. "According to the doctors, that wound should have affected you much more severely than it did... I'm glad." Yume noticed that not even this "happiness" could keep his eyes from gleaming with the not-so-well-hidden alarm he felt.

She smiled sadly, reaching up a frail hand to tangle its fingers in his chestnut locks, "No... No, don't worry about me. You're more important... You shouldn't have stayed here, Kureno, I know you know that... What about Akito?" Regardless of the things she'd forgotten, her meeting with the Souma clan's female patriarch had not left her.

"Eh?" She scowled slightly, even with her best attempts to hide it being pressured upon her.

"She told me everything."

Yume's use of the feminine name for Akito caught his attention immediately, and he stared deep into her eyes, wishing that he could know what she was thinking. There were millions of things that could have been said in that room, but if Akito were to have told Yume that she was a woman... What possible purpose could it have served her?

"I know you've... you've _been with her_," said Yume, looking away, "like that, all these years. And now I know that..." She trailed off, not completing her sentence, not knowing how to word the fact that Akito wanted her completely out of the picture properly, without sounding to brash. She shrugged it away, continuing offhandedly, "Well, Kureno, please. Just... just promise to take care of yourself."

"What were you saying?"

She ignored him. "Promise me."

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded, rising from the bed. He took hold of her hand, looking at the sprawled-open palm resting there, at the scrapes on her wrists. He dared to look at her eyes again, though looking past the bandages, and solely, only at Yume. He tried to imagine that they were back in the library, with her healthy and completely unharmed... Or, in this case, uninjured.

"I promise." He could not veil the disappointment lingering in his throat.

She smiled lopsidedly, "You'll call me, won't you? And soon?"

Hardly returning her grin, he gave her a shaky one in return, nodding. "Yes... I will."

"Good, good... Give Akito my best, then -"

A deep voice cleared its, his, throat from the doorway, causing both Kureno and Yume to turn to look at whom might be intruding. And there, sure as day, stood Souma Shigure, leaning against the frame, looking seductively nonchalant and, in an odd way, pleased. He gave Yume a swift nod, not even sparing Kureno a momentary glance. Smartly, with a small grin, he revealed a blood red rose from behind his back, from under the jacket he held in his hand. Kureno avoided the older man's dark gaze pointedly as he began to feel increasingly uncomfortable, knowing what had transpired between Yume and his cousin before him.

The Dog stalked over to her bedside, leaning down slightly, taking Yume's withering hand quickly in his own. He kissed it suavely, holding her gaze. Kureno nearly thought he saw a pink tint spread across her pale cheekbones, but whatever trace he might have seen was either gone or expertly covered up before he had time to realize it. The crimson blossom was tossed carelessly beside her on the bed sheets.

"Koncha, Yume-kun... I've heard you caused quite a commotion the other day," said Shigure, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. Kureno watched on curiously, looking to see just what their relationship might be... Were they seeing each other? Had it really just been a casual, erratic date, done simply on a whim? He needed answers if he was ever going to stay sane, but the thought alone of him caring so much startled him violently.

Yume laughed nervously, taking the flower into her hand, "Ano... Yeah," she hummed. "Apparently. I don't really remember whatever it was that happened."

"Hm," grunted Shigure, smirking at her with a practiced, dangerous ease. "... Interesting."

She giggled again, as nervously as before, "Um, yes... Kureno, why don't you say hello? From what Shigure has told me, you two don't see much of each other, and-"

"Maa," said Shigure sharply, cutting her off, "I was under the impression that Kureno was readying himself to take his leave, ne?" For the first time since he entered the room, Shigure sent the Rooster a suggestive glare.

"Oi, well," said Yume, attempting meagerly to be a sort of pacifist force to keep Shigure at bay, "Shigure, he's got a right to stay, too, just like you've got... If you want, that is, Kureno-chan. But if you really wanted to leave..."

"Iie," said Kureno quietly. "I should probably go back to the estate, anyhow... Akito... she might be worried by now." No one noticed the way Shigure's brow arched at the use of the feminine term in Kureno's sentence.

"Yeah," said Yume, nodding, "yeah. She might be worried. You're right."

"I doubt it," said Shigure. "Unless, of course, you left without informing Akito-san of where you were heading...?" When Kureno said nothing, Shigure's brow rose higher. Though, his eyes held a sort of airy, sadistic amusement. "You really didn't?" His remark came out almost as a scoff.

"I... I did," said Kureno, looking away from Shigure again. He stuck his hand deep in his pocket, turning. "Yume. I'll call you soon. But... you're right. Akito might be wondering." Before taking a step, he dared a glance at Shigure's face, only to see that the dark-eyed man had already lost interest in him, taking the fiery flower between his fingers, twirling it carelessly.

From out of nowhere, it seemed, Shigure glanced up, glowering, "So go, then."

"Ja, Kureno-kun," called Yume, just before the door slid closed behind the departing man. Shigure stole a glance at Yume's chest before the woman regained his attention.

"How long were you lurking there for?" asked Yume, leaning back into her pillows, eyes closing.

"Where?"

"At the door like that," replied the girl.

Shigure shrugged, taking a lock of the woman's soft, rich chocolate-colored tresses between his forefingers. Looking down at her, he was strongly reminded of Rin, from when she had been in the hospital. Or, at least, what he could gather from the few times he'd visited.

"Not long," said Shigure. "A minute or so, at the most..." He trailed his hand away from her hair and to her stomach, playfully wriggling a finger beneath the shirt she wore. He took satisfaction in feeling the shiver that surged through her body at his touch. "An, but I apologize. For barging in as I did."

Yume blushed as he moved closer to her face, leaning over her. She stuttered, "N-No... it's no trouble."

She looked away, feeling his hot gaze studying her, sizing her up. He leaned in further still, lips brushing softly against the plane of skin beside her bandages. She felt her blush deepen, her face feeling as though it were ablaze.

"You know..." murmured Shigure, "whatever Akito-san might have spoken to you about... anything she might have said..."

Yume stuttered, "U-Un...?"

Shigure smirked against her shivering, heated flesh, "You shouldn't think much of it." His lips pressed against her crown before continuing, "She likes to toy with people. Especially outsiders like you."

_Outsiders like... me?_ She looked at her bloodied hands as she remembered Akito's words from their encounter.

_... some common wretch like you ..._

The man moved away from her, leaning backwards slightly, airily. "An, but don't listen to me, Yume-kun." She saw his smirk, tentatively glancing upwards, looking upon him silently. "Anyway, it seems you and Kureno-kun were having a nice chat before I showed up and interrupted things."

"He was just checking up on me," said Yume, gaze hardening a bit. "You didn't have to be so hard on him. He didn't say one disrespectful thing to you, but you still found it necessary to give him a hard time. Why?"

Shigure shrugged, passing her a darkened gaze, causing Yume's heart to skip a beat as she saw the empty resentment lingering there.

"Don't dig into it," said Shigure, finally looking away from her after a moment's pause. He leered once again, "An, well... I came here for a reason. Not just to check in."

She had figured as much. "Then what ...?"

Shigure turned his mesmeric eyes upon her, and her blush returned almost instantaneously. He didn't bother to hide the rousing suggestiveness from his stare, his vision trailing from her face, down her body, and back again, only to show that his gaze had done nothing but grow even more enticing.

"I had a nice time with you the other night," said Shigure, tilting his head a bit, his attractive, jaunty grin returning. "And I was wondering if... -"

The door opened suddenly, a young, pale-haired nurse peeking into the room. Her cheery smile was turned upon them immediately.

"Sumimasen, Yasukawa-san, but visiting hours are now over... I'm afraid your guest will have to leave. Sumimasen."

Shigure sighed impatiently, unwillingly rising to his feet. He turned a cold smirk towards the nurse. "Of course." Stepping away from the bed, in the direction of the exit, the Dog paused for a moment, glancing backwards at Yume. A single, playful wink was spared before he pushed past the nurse, out into the hallway.

Outside, Souma Shigure appeared calm and cool, but on the inside, he was strangely bothered. He had come so close to getting her out again... So close to furthering his plans. He wasn't blind, as, apparently, his prey was; he'd seen the subtle hint of attraction and longing, though well-shielded, sparkling in Kureno's dull stare. Well-hidden, yes, but Shigure saw past his younger relative's barriers. It had been especially easy, as this had been the one thing he was hoping to catch a glance of.

So, Akito had told her. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. No doubt she had a plan to drive Yume away... And even in doing so, obviously not realizing it, she was simply putting Shigure's own agenda into effect. Kureno would be downhearted if Yume were to be cast away... and Shigure would be all too willing to intercept her as she was flung.

After all, it might be fun to see how hard Kureno would fall. And God knew that Shigure needed more than the slow torture he dished out upon his cousins, Toru, and Mayuko for entertainment.

As he exited the building, he glanced upwards, at the third story. And there, sure enough, Yume was, leaning out the window, glancing off into some haphazard direction. Shigure felt his heart flutter with excitement. Yes, this would be entertaining enough. Besides, Yume was cute. So it wasn't a complete waste of time.

He hummed pleasantly. _Let the games begin._


	9. Curses and Curses

Disclaimer: I'm going to form the assumption that, seeing as how you've clicked on this, you are fairly familiar with the manga, Fruits Basket. Then you should already understand that I do not own said manga. Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki; I am merely borrowing Kureno... for a night or two. Or three.  
Also, it would be fair to warn you that this fic will contain spoilers for chapters 97 + in the manga. Just throwing that out there.

* * *

Yume stared downwards, eyes glued to the surface of the table she sat before, fingers laced protectively around the handle of her teacup. Her breathing was slightly more shallow and labored, and her little heart seemed to beat louder than a roaring train running along its track. All the while, her ears were abandoned, save the harmonious chirping of the birds outside the window.

And all the while, she couldn't believe she was actually here again.

Kureno had called as soon as he had heard she'd left the hospital with word of another summons. Another sinister invitation, courtesy of Akito. 'She wants a word.' He'd said nothing more than that. And hesitantly, foolishly, she'd agreed. She didn't want to be sitting in this room again, she never wanted Akito to walk in through that door. But _why_, she wondered? How could this woman - frail, young, sickly - create such fear?

In the back of her mind, she knew. Or, rather, she knew only what Shigure had told her on the phone, just hours earlier. 'You're probably getting too close for her liking,' he'd said. 'Just play your cards the same way you did the last time... and you'll be fine. Don't give away any more than you must, unless you're looking to upset her.'

How long could she work with that advice, though?

How long until her clumsy nature ruined things?

"I know, I know!" snarled a voice from behind the shoji screen behind her. "Now, leave. We don't need you."

Yume had never taken so deep a breath as she had just then.

The dark kami stepped through the doorway, gliding silkily towards her own spot, across the table from where Yume sat, herself. As far as she knew, Akito hadn't looked at her yet, and she was grateful for it. She'd do anything to never have to meet that stone cold stare. The next thing she knew, the door was sliding shut, trapping her in.

"Good afternoon, Yume," said Akito mildly, seating herself. The woman adressed raised her gaze to meet her host's.

"Good afternoon, Akito-san."

The younger woman sighed, "I apologize for keeping you waiting like this... I'm afraid there were other matters to attend to. You're not angry ...?"

"No, no," laughed Yume. "Not at all. Thank you for having me, though."

Akito nodded, taking a sip of her own tea. There was an uncomfortable silence that fell upon them, the birds seeming to grow louder with it. The Souma matriarch smirked idly.

"You were in the hospital, I hear," she said mildly. "Poor thing... I do hope you're all right. It would just break Kureno's heart if anything were to happen to you, you know." She paused to let out a sly chuckle, flashing a elysian grin. "He won't talk about it much, but I know. Even so... I can't help but think that all of this... what did Kureno tell me it was ...? Stress? Yes, well, I can't help but assume that it must have been somewhat of mine, or, more likely, Kureno's doing, hm?"

Yume shook her head, closing her eyes slightly. She didn't see the silently raging fire lurking behind Akito's cold, dark eyes. "No, no. I'm more certain it would have been Shigure's fault."

She only had a moment to prepare before the sound of porcelain shattering against the wooden tabletop made her heartbeat freeze.

* * *

"Shigure-senpai," said Yume casually, looking over at him shyly at the other end of the bench. "You... you say that there is a curse... making you all connected to the Zodiac animals... and that's why Kureno-chan turned into a bird when I hugged him. Right?"

Her senior shrugged, leaning back in his sitting position. "More or less."

"So, are you cursed, too, then?" Shigure smirked at the eagerness ringing from her words.

"An, yeah," said Shigure smugly, enjoying her attention and interest. "Kureno's the bird, or, rather, Rooster, as you can tell... and I'm the Dog." He gave her an impish grin.

"And what about the others?" asked Yume, eyes wide. "Hatori-senpai, Ayame-senpai... are they cursed, too?"

The Dog's smile gave way to a slight scowl. "I'm not sure Akito-san wants you to know that." Yume shrugged nonchalantly, scuffling her feet.

"Hey, 'Akito-san'... That's the head of your family, ne?"

"Uh-huh."

"Maa... Is he cursed, too? Like you, and like Kureno?" When Shigure nodded, her eyes lit up like a city after nightfall. "Ara! What animal is he, then?"

Shigure's expression lifted itself from its gloom, a bitter leer slipping onto his lips.

"He doesn't have one."

"... So, then how is he cursed? What role does he play?" asked Yume, fiddling nervously, swishing her feet back and forth above the grass below them.

"He _is_ the curse."

* * *

Yume's eyes widened as she saw Akito's anger flare out around her miniscule frame; she could nearly see her rage become an aura, a barrier, surrounding her hostess.

What had she said? ... Or, was it the fact that she did not know of what her specific offense was that had now become her downfall?

"What?" shouted Akito, eyes narrowed dangerously, ebony slits like daggers pointed in Yume's direction. "What do you mean, 'Shigure's fault'? You mean you've seen _him_, too, you little whore? You're trying to corrupt him as well?"

Yume did nothing to hide the sheer terror freezing her body through her eyes. "A... Akito-san?"

Akito's breathing was heavy, fists clenched so tightly that Yume could faintly see red gashes developing on her pale palms by means of her long fingernails. Like the calm before the storm, she saw Akito subdue herself for the moment - though she knew perfectly well that beyond that mask lie a force to be reckoned with.

"You little whore," she growled, rising to her feet, towering above her, a menacing, wrathful Goddess. "What are you trying to _do_ here, Yasukawa-_san_?" She chuckled harshly, pointing at her. "Stand, girl." Yume nervously complied, rising to her feet, wishing to disappear with all of her might.

"Look at me," ordered Akito, raving in such a manner that spittle flared from the corners of her mouth. Yume dared to meet her gaze, eyes welling up with hot, salty tears, lip trembling. Akito smirked in cruel triumph, boring straight into her eyes; she raised her hand, bringing it down upon the side of Yume's face with a decieving amount of force. The older girl was sent plummeting to the ground, landing roughly against the tatami-covered floor with a scrape.

"Listen to this, Yume," growled Akito, kicking at her guest's crumpled form gruffly. "I have been unecessarily gracious with you, have I not? You waltz in, feeble, foolish aspiritions of seducing my Rooster bright in your pathetic little mind, and yet, do I stop you from trying? No. You irk me further, even going so far as to accompany him to dinner... Do I intervene? Of course not. I am being humble with you. But there are certain things that do so overcast my hospitality - you go for another of my kin. Isn't that what you're after, you besotten, lonely old woman? A man, someone to hold, someone to corrupt? And you want one of _my_ beauties, of course... You're so terribly shallow." She leaned down, pulling Yume up to meet her face by the fabric of her blouse. "And they just seem so pretty to you, don't they?" Yume struggled to defend herself, words overflowing from the depths of her throat.

"N-No!" she exclaimed, nearing on desperation. "I... I do admit that I am attracted to Kureno. Hell, so maybe I _do_ like him. But that's to be expected, isn't it? You said it yourself, Akito-san: He's great. And he is... He's utterly amazing. But it was never my intention to steal anyone from you - especially as they do not belong to anyone but themselves, Akito-san! They're human beings... not your pets, nor your belongings!" Akito struck her once more.

"Shut up, you ignorant little bitch!" yelled Akito, shoving her down once again. "You don't know _anything_, so don't presume to preach to _me_ about who they may or may not belong to. I am their _God_. I am most important, and I always shall be. It's just stupid outsiders like you that can't understand that, so you look down upon it. Well, don't you _dare_ pass judgement upon it, especially when you're as nescient as you are!"

Yume didn't seem to have a response, so Akito continued her onslaught. "Now, you listen up - they're mine. They always will be. _I_ decide what is best for them, and I always know exactly what _is_ best. And now, let me tell you... As their _master_, I forbade them, each of them, from having any further contact with you. And after a while, they'll start to see. They're start to agree. They'll see you as the villain. Because, my dear, that's what you are, and it's what you always will be. I won't have you sucking up everything I've worked to create and maintain. I won't let you be the end of us."


	10. The Calm

Kureno stared at the telephone cradled in his hands, deep russet eyes glazed with the aftereffects of insomnia and melancholia, laden with the remnants of hot, woebegon tears, painfully straining to focus on the Lilliputian-esque marks on the phone's miniscule, plastic buttons. Leaning against the fusuma leading into Akito-san's bedchambers, Kureno let out a tiny sigh, tightening his knuckles around the plastic body of the mobile, bangs screening his vision from the corridor's occupants. And it is in this moment that Kureno has finally realized how completely pathetic and disgusting he really is.

His mind mired in thoughts of Yume's most recent medical incarceration, he found himself thinking lower and lower of himself as the full weight of his situation hit him harder and harder as the minutes passed. It seemed that, since Yume had seen him, that one afternoon at the library so many weeks ago, her situation had simply continued to decompose and crumble more and more, falling less and less healthy due to her bouts of stress and overwork each time she hit what seemed to be rock bottom. And in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't Akito's fault for hating her, he knew it wasn't Shigure's fault for bothering her: it was his own for ever reinvolving her in his life in the first place.

He could only wonder how Yume was, envisioning her formerly glorious, withering form laying in a hospital bed, glancing askew at him, doe-eyed and suffering, yet gritting her teeth and casting him a calm smile, and the only thing that he felt was the one emotion he had never wanted to feel towards her: one of fear. For, in this moment, she had transformed from something delectible and astral as she near always was - no, there was no question; it was constant - to something dangerous, something forbidden, and, not to forget, something that would eat away at his soul, should it go unattended to. He could only imagine what she might say if she knew he was standing here, thinking such things about her... If she would say anything.

Instead of arguing, instead of begging, he had simply sat idly, allowing Akito to forbid him to see the one woman that he had come to deeply care about in years, while he knew perfectly well that this could very possibly be the last opportunity to meet with her... well, pretty much ever, should Akito get her way.

There was only one question he could really ask himself that would - or, really, could - really _mean_ anything: If he cared about her so, worried about her... Why did he not stick up for her when Akito had mercilessly spat her slander, rather than sitting there uselessly? Why had he failed to demand his freedom, the freedom to visit her? Why was Akito still so much more goddamned important?

So far, his only answer was that he just might be the biggest pussy that he knew. Nay, scratch that -- that had ever lived.

It was times like these when Kureno seriously weighed things; when he tried so desperately to decipher who and what he was -- and what love was, or, rather, whatever _this_ was to make him so shameless as he was. It was so unlike those days of his youth when he still knew himself, yet not so unlike... This was fear, but some new extraordinary sort of fear that made him shiver and elate. But there _was_ that fear... and the mere fact of this made him want to drive the phone clutched in his hand straight into the innards of his chest.

And then he came to realize that this _was_ different; it was this time that he no longer had to dwell for countless hours over whatever his affections for Yume might truly be. There was no longer that unavoidable need to obsess, to worry, to completely absorb himself in his insecurity and in his dreams.

Because this time he knew, so there was no need to wonder and fret carelessly like he had done so many times during his adolescence. Because this time he knew - he finally knew - that his feelings for Yume were simply... unquestionable.

* * *

Inside of Souma Shigure's mind, gears were turning.

Unsurprisingly, the latest developments in Yasukawa-chan and Kureno's relationship had opened up new, wonderful doors for Shigure's plan to snake its way into the innermost folds of their bond, which inevitably would drive the two further apart, and, not to mention, dangerously closer, in turn. And as he followed the buxom, blonde nurse through the winding white corridors of the hospital, blidingly bright sunlight streaming through large, unveiled windows, Shigure realized he had two options from this point:

Either lie to Yume, or...

Well, perhaps he really only had once choice after all.

He knew very well of the dangers this plan of action aroused, for not only Yume, not only for Kureno, but, quite unusually, for himself as well. Usually, as it went without saying, Shigure wasn't much of a martyr, and personally, he'd never had much time for them, either. And he could think of many a circumstance in which he sacrificed someone else's well-being in order to preserve his own, and could also revisit these times with a sense of pride at his tactical, self-serving techniques. However, he knew the stakes were higher this time: Yume was a good girl, and the last thing he wanted to see at the moment was her suffering needlessly, especially because of something _he_ did, but regardless of how strongly he felt that way, it was the only way to achieve his final goal... and there wasn't many a thing that could stop him in his tracks.

In a matter of a minute or so, they arrived at Yume's room. He tried his hardest to ignore the attractive caretaker's flirtacious glances as he stepped into the room, donning his usual, most practised nonchalant demeanor as he swept by her with but a word of halfhearted appreciation. And, unexpectedly, he felt a jolt at seeing Yume laying there, helpless in her bed. If it was a good jolt or a bad jolt, however, he was uncertain.

She didn't seem conscious, but she spoke to him, proving himself wrong. "Ah... Shigure. You came to visit me, I see." She forced a wry smile to curve her lips as he shot her a handsome smirk.

"An, I did, I did," said Shigure, seating himself on the edge of the bed, staring down at her, into her eyes. He smiled again. "Kureno called me, a total wreck, he is... He's been worried sick, it seems, but we both know he can't do much about that, an. Not that I wasn't concerned too, of course." He leered. "But how have you been?"

"Fine, more or less," said Yume, yawning a bit. "It's not like I'm here for any really serious reason, right?"

"I suppose not," said Shigure, "if you consider your well-being to be some sort of laughing matter." He let out a short sigh. "You're wasting away all your good health, Yume-chan."

"I know it," said Yume. "But... it's just been so... hard."

"Oh?"

She seemed guilty - it was easy for Shigure to pick up on - and he felt her wither a bit beneath her blankets. "No, just... Just forget I said anything. I'm sure it'll sound totally foolish if I say anything more..."

"Try me," he challenged, digging around for a cigarette, ignoring the plaque on the wall clearly telling him not to.

Yume was hesitant to answer, even still. She looked nervously at her elbow, avoiding his glance. "Just... everything..." Another pause, and she forced the words past her lips. "It's as though ever since I ran into Kureno that day that everything's just gotten so... _hard_... and..."

Shigure released a humorless chuckle, lighting his cigarette before quickly looking around the room for any cameras that might get him into trouble. "Finally, the bitter truth comes out, ne?"

Silence.

He smiled, "Not that you aren't completely adorable when you're embarrassed, but don't feel too bad about thinking that way." He took a drag on the cancerous cylinder hanging loosely between his chapped lips. "Feelings like that come along with being involved in the curse; I would have thought you'd figured that simple fact out long before you saw Kureno at the library last month."

Yume failed to respond, so Shigure took the opportunity to send a pitious smile her way, though she continued to avoid his stare and it had, in turn, gone unnoticed. After a few minutes or so of deafening silence, Shigure's cigarette had reduced itself to ashes in the water glass on Yume's bedside stand and snowflakes had begun to flood down from the skies outside the window. Shigure looked at the clock on the wall, heaving a sigh to break the silence.

"I need to be heading home soon," said Shigure, looking at Yume again to find her dark eyes transfixed on the frosted windowpane. He stood, the lie that had formulated in his mind over the few minutes of peace that had plagued the room passing from his throat carelessly, as though he was simply stating fact and not a hazardous, decietful lie.

"Akito has requested that you call Kureno as soon as you can," he said. He could practically see her muscles tense, see her jaws grind. "He's been in shambles, and she wants him calmed down. It's obvious that if he talks with you, this will happen."

Yume finally spoke, voice hoarse. "But Akito told me that -"

"Forget what Akito told you," said Shigure, perhaps a bit too hastily, but, to his immense gratitude, she didn't seem to pick up on the slight change in his pace. "I'm just repeating to you what she said to me earlier. So give him a call when you've got the time."

Still slightly dubious, Yume looked at him for a moment, eyes locking with his. Somewhere deep down inside her, he knew there was that foreboding spark of distrust blazing about, and the knowledge of this fact seemed to make his insides squirm. He knew she wasn't stupid, and just that made this whole scheme of his a lot riskier than he had originally anticipated. However, she seemed to give in, nodding.

"I promise I will, Shigure. Thanks for telling me."

He nodded to her, turning on heel to face the door. As he walked away slowly, a satisfied leer spread across his face.

"You're very welcome, Yasukawa-chan. Later."

* * *

Back at the Souma estate, deep in the center, perched safely in her room, there was an outraged Goddess lurking in the shadows.

Fury swept through Souma Akito's body like electicity through a generator, building up slowly, intensely, consuming her mind and soul to coax her into a state of perpetual ire. Smiling bitterly, eyes narrowed, her body trembling in bouts of violent tremors of mad ferocity, she looked at Kureno's cell phone laying neatly in her hands, the highlighted name of the Yasukawa bitch glowing ominously on his call registry. An embittered chuckle rumbled through her chest as she slapped the mobile closed quickly, throwing it across her futon, fists clenching in its absence.

After all of the warnings she'd given, after all of the yelling, the anger... she still _dared_ to talk to him as though she hadn't heard a word of what Akito had told her. Somewhere in the bitch's simple, little mind, she still saw it fit to go against her, just like some sort of reckless child or... or some sort of hideous, vile woman that dangerously resembled Ren. Akito, coincidentally, hated both of those things.

To refrain from hurting Kureno too badly, she hadn't done anything drastic to affect the current situation concerning he and the Yume bitch. The most she could have done and the most that she had done was scream at her a bit, like she'd always wanted to, ever since she'd heard that Kureno had even seen her, rather than simply letting loose and breaking every bloody bone in the whore's pretty little body. After all, Kureno hadn't done anything wrong; it was all Yume's fault, and that much was blatantly obvious. And now that Shigure had made contact with her - hell, who _knows_ what the little harlot had managed to pull with a man like _him_ - the Souma matriarch found herself hating the girl more and more by the very second that she thought about it. She could only imagine the disgustingly tantalizing images of Yume's hands slipping all over Shigure's lean physique, pressing her filthy little lips against his... Absolutely disgusting.

As quickly as her anger had come, it fled, her mind suddenly freezing as the ideal solution to her dilemma popped into her brain. A slow, grim smile languidly curling her lips into a devious grin, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her fists clench. With any luck...

She laughed as somewhere, miles away, the problem was falling fast asleep.


	11. Hanging By A Moment

Souma Hatori usually wasn't one to display his emotions to the world-- or his confusions, for that matter. He was usually well conditioned enough to hide things of that nature, or to avoid situations that might bring about such reactions completely. However, Hatori didn't bother to hide his surprise when Akito told him to call Yasukawa Yume to invite her to visit the next morning, lifting an eyebrow casually; though genuinely interested in the request, his (usually) effective cover-up hadn't been enough to shield the pother that had shone through his eyes.

"You want _me_ to visit with her?"

"Don't be stupid, Hatori," clipped Akito. "_I_ want her."

Hatori continued to stare at her, dumbfounded, confusion plainly clear in his lavender eyes. He hadn't even ever heard of Akito even _knowing_ much of Yume, other than the fact that she existed... but nor did he know of her newfound relationship with his younger cousin. Akito sighed, disappointed with his ignorance, glaring at nothing in particular other than a speck on the floor.

"She and Kureno are... agh, damn it," snapped Akito, more-than-obviously peeved. "I don't want to talk about that stupid little bitch, so just do as I say and call her. I want her here by this afternoon, and no later. I think she'll be able to comply with that demand." Akito's lips curled into a bitter leer. "Or, at least, she'd better."

Hatori was still confused, but said nothing.

"... Yes, Akito-san," sighed Hatori, picking up his phone on his desk. "Is there anything else?"

She answered as if she hadn't heard his question. "And cancel any appointments you have today," sneered Akito. "You might become employed by... greater matters this afternoon."

And somehow, strangely, with a looming sort of intensely morbid understanding, Hatori wasn't confused anymore.

-

Yume arrived on time that afternoon, just like Hatori had so gingerly suggested. She was polite, towards Akito and everyone, even though, in the back of her mind, she knew what would happen would happen whether she was kind or not.

Yume didn't cry when Akito hit her; she didn't scream, she didn't groan, she didn't whimper. Silently, like a falling tower, she dropped to her knees, hand softly cupping her wound as her body began to tremble. She heard the teacup that Akito had smashed against her skull hit the ground before she did, shattering into tens of tiny peices across the floor. Her free hand, as sturdily as she could muster, broke her fall as she tumbled forwards, even though she ended up sliding forward anyway, her palm scraping against the coarse surface and the jagged shards of the glass roughly, without much warning, deep scuffs erupting blood upon the fleshy skin of her upper wrist.

She grunted softly, eyes clenched shut as she heard Akito move across the floor to stand beside her, undoubtedly leering down at her like a fox to a rabbit that it had just sliced open with its claws. Yume's hands balled into fists when she heard her gracious hostess chuckle softly, wanting nothing more than to just get up, get out, and never look back on this again; even if it meant losing Kureno, even if it meant losing everything she had gained from this experience tenfold. Not that she harbored any hopes of keeping him, of course; she may have been foolish, but she was no fool herself. Any and all chances of remaining here, unchanging, with Kureno and whatever feelings had come to be between them, had been out the window since the very first moment their eyes met.

Akito spoke softly, sounding more and more sadistically pleased with the situation before her as word after word poured from her mouth. The Souma matriarch kneeled down, taking a strand of Yume's mane between her fingers, pulling on it lightly, enticingly threatening and promising of a bitter, fast-approaching ending. She murmured, "Do you regret it?" She let the hair fall past her fingers onto the bloodstained ground. "Do you?"

"No," gurgled Yume, only numbly worried about the blood that dripped from her lips down her chin, only vaguely noticing as it dripped onto the ground, softly ringing through the silence that filled the room. "And I won't. Ever. Loving someone isn't something to feel remorse for."

Akito scoffed, rising to her feet. "Listen to you, Yasukawa. You're ridiculous. Playing the part of the noble lover... most unfitting, I say."

A smirk curled her lips, eyes darting out to the corner of her eye, to the doorway of the parlor, heart fluttering a bit as she saw the tall, lean figure that stood there. "Ne... Kureno?"

_... No! Damn it, _no...

Yume coughed, spitting up blood, trying her hardest to ignore the lukewarm plasma gathering inside her mouth. She brought her eyelids crashing against each other again, not wanting to cry, but finding that keeping herself from doing so was becoming increasingly difficult with every second that Kureno stood there, looking at her. She dared not to look to him, fearing the pity - nay, disgust - that she might see there in his eyes, hoping so uselessly that maybe, just maybe, Akito was lying and that Kureno wasn't there.

"An... Come in, Kureno."

_Please, God, let her be lying. He's not there, damn it. He can't be._

Her prayers fell on deaf ears; the heartwrenching sounds of heavy, masculine footsteps fluttered faintly to her ears, assuredly indicative of his nearly unwanted presence. It was only nearly; a part of her, though this part was buried somewhere deep within her, held captive by her opposite side, wanted to rush to him, to take him away with her, to never let go of him, not ever. _Damn Akito. He shouldn't have to see this..._

"She's not so pretty anymore, ne, Kureno?" Akito purred.

And then, those words, the words that Yume could have killed her over, if she just had the chance:

"See what you've done?"

Yume vainly struggled to intervene. "Akito..." Her warning was left unheeded, as Akito continued.

"You see her? You see what you've done? -"

She tried again. "- Shut _up_, Akito, it isn't his fault -"

"- See what happens when you go against me? See what happens when you're selfish, Kureno? -"

"- _Stop it, Akito_ -"

She didn't, of course, and Yume knew that she never would, likely; she would never stop tormenting him, and, damn it, it tormented _her_: a master stroke, though not a charming one, not even in the least; "- You know that this is your fault, ne? You see how much pain she's in? Was it worth it, Kureno? Was hurting her worth it? -"

"Stop!" yelled Yume, glaring hotly at her hostess, a thin stream of blood flowing from her hair to her cheekbone. And finally, it worked; Akito, hands shaking, now turned her head to look at the injured woman instead, face caught somewhere between a leer and a snarl, from what Yume could see from the corner of her eye. She laughed callously, staring coldly down at her, that hot stare that suggested naught but the most supreme level of annoyance. Yume, though she knew the consequence of her action, felt more relieved than she had ever felt.

_Just leave him alone now._

Akito started, rigid and cold, "Iie... this is more _your_ fault then anyone else's, ne, Yume-san? Though I suppose this is what you deserve, isn't it? -"

"Ano... Akito... please, leave her be, now."

Yume's heart stopped at the sound of Kureno's voice; it rang soft, cautious, and he dared not even to send the Souma head a glance, instead lingering upon a splatter of blood near Yume's leg. _What is he doing_?

Akito, smirking, looked to Kureno once again, and after a moment, stepped past him while running her fingers along his bicep tauntingly as she moved. Arriving at the doorway, she glanced back at the couple, laughing a bit under her breath as she watched Kureno kneel beside Yume, bringing a hand to drag gently through her messy chocolate mane, the blood laced into its strands turning it near black.

Akito scoffed. _Pathetic._

Yume nearly cried then as she heard the door slide shut behind her.

"_She loves to toy with people. Especially outsiders like you._"

-

Kureno wasn't stupid.

When Akito had told him this morning to keep away from her until called, he assumed - no, he knew - that something, though he'd only had vague ideas as to what her plans might have been, was going to happen today. And now, sitting here with Yume in the middle of the floor, with nothing to do but kill time and breathe, holding each other, he was damn happy that he hadn't known any more than he did. Even now, he was having a hard time believing that this was the end, and God only knew how much it was tearing him apart.

_Maybe,_ he thought, _if I close my eyes, this moment won't ever end._

He'd only looked at her once or twice since he'd even come into the room; there was nothing he wanted to do less than to see her, bloodied and trembling like she was right now, not even for a second. Whether it was his fault, her fault, or, really, _anyone's_ fault but fate's, he was responsible, and he was having quite a difficult time being near her with that thought in his head. Even if, in reality, Shigure-niisan was responsible... but Kureno couldn't bring himself to blame him. Because, of course, there was always that chance that Shigure really hadn't known the impending consequences of his actions, even though he usually always did, but, even still, there was always that slim, nearly nonexistent chance.

_Of course_, thought Kureno, nearly wanting to laugh. _And Akito's hand had actually only just slipped when she smashed her glass against Yume's head_.

No, in this moment, as it dragged on for what seemed like a short eternity, Kureno didn't want to blame anyone, didn't want to see anyone, and didn't want to hear anything, not even Yume's voice, even if it did usually make his heart skip and give him that strangely welcome little feeling of youthful anxiety each and every single time. No; in this moment, he wanted to feel numb. And he wanted Yume to go numb, too.

But more than anything, he wanted to see Yume smile. Just one last time.

"Help me sit up, Kureno."

Yume heaved a weak, shaky sigh, and her voice, that damnable voice, reached his ears faintly, and it was obvious to him then that if he didn't do anything to help her, she would fall unconscious. And, damn it, what then, he wondered?

But Yume broke his train of thought once again, and said, proving Kureno's worst, lurking fears to be true,

"I don't... want you to be forced to remember this... Kureno."

He didn't know what to say.

Thankfully, he didn't have to know; "Akito... what... what she said... about this being... my fault... it was all right. And I'd apologize if I felt I'd actually done someth... ing wrong. But... I... don't think that I did." As she spoke more and more, it was blatant that she was nearing the edge of tears.

Kureno choked back his own tears and replied, "That makes sense... because you _didn't_."

Yume smiled faintly, looking up at him, despite the tears that rolled down her cheekbones onto her lips, and he then realized that he was actually okay - more than okay, for that matter - with looking at her right now, and that he was okay with staring into her eyes for a long, long time - forever, preferably - and that Akito, though it was difficult to say so, was wrong.

She was beautiful, damn it.

"I was... unhappy... for a long... time, Kureno..." She paused, leaning forwards slightly, nose brushing against his. He nearly choked on his surprise. "I missed you a... a whole lot... even though I didn't... really... _realize_ it, until... until I saw you that day..."

"... but... then... after... after our dinner... when I was... with you... I was... really... very... happy."

Kureno laughed under his breath, still staring into her eyes, not even blinking, and said, just as deliriously happy as he'd always wanted to be, in some strange, morbid way, mumbled, "Yume... would it be okay if I kissed you?"

When she didn't reply, Kureno wanted to bawl. _That's what I get for trying to be smooth for once, I guess.._. -

Yume shook her head, smiling. "No... because... you... kissed me... last time. I think... that it's my turn."

She pressed her lips against his softly, tears falling harder and harder from her eyes as seconds passed by.

And when she pulled back, staring at him again, just the same as before but so much more fragile, so much more frightened, Kureno, for the first time in a long time, cried too.


End file.
